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[Geoff]

John,


Pretty sure we did. At that time Canopus was electric powered as the week before when I steamed her up the boiler leaked so I had to have it repaired! Candidly electric power is so much simpler and you can sale for hours, but steam is much more fun! The smell of hot oil and steam and burned fingers! - nothing like it 


Indeed Canopus used black powder at Mayhem but per the Iron Duke thread I've moved on with a much better system. If I can find the room and time I'll try to retro-fit Canopus as the ID system is much superior with 60/75 shots per gun.


Your boiler sounds like a Puffin Mk 1 which is what Canopus uses. With steam I always look at it that you have so many bites of steam so provided the engine will turn the props you are better to have large props rather than small ones as the small ones take more bites!


Cheers


Geoff

[John Foreman]

Geoff,
One additional problem with steam is the servicing of the power plant. Of course the same problem with 1:1 ships. The more frequent requirements of steam increase the chance that damage is done. There are lots of bits to knock of these ships and less than 100% concentration of refilling a gas tank or emptying a condenser can require a lot of fixing.


I do not like to go away from the topic of the original post as it starts putting things into it that may be difficult to find if someone is searching. So a a short note. I am copying some of your gun fire system but using a peristaltic pump and Arduino to time everything including delayed bang to give a scale distance effect. Got the bits but have not mocked it up yet. I will start a new thread to cover this.
Keep safe.

[John Foreman]

I spent hours doing a CAD design for the blast plates so I could 3d print them. Unfortunately it was pushing the process further than it wanted to go and the thin prints just wanted to warp once done.    I eventually settled on some polystyrene N gauge checker plate that looks just right.    It still is probably over scale but not so much that it would be a tripping hazard and the thickness is good. I will cut it into separate plates and at a 20 degree angle on the pattern, so when set that will draw attention to the texture. Two sheets cost £9.00 that will be enough for the two areas and have a bit left over if I want to use any elsewhere. The final decision is radial or rectangular.